Wien 24 Juni 2010 Martin E.P. Seligman marty@apa.org In Memory: John R. Z. Abela d. June 18, 2010, age 39 years.

Wien 24 Juni 2010Martin E.P. Seligman

marty@apa.org

In Memory:John R. Z. Abela

d. June 18, 2010, age 39 years

Positive Education for Achievement & for Well Being What is Positive Psychology? ACR Exercise Skepticism re Positive Psychology The Science: PP builds Intellectual, Social, Physical Capital Q&A Break Should Well Being Be Taught? Widespread Depression & Happiness Flat Synergy with Classroom Learning & Success Can Well Being Be Taught? Evidence-based Positive Interventions Positive Psychotherapy & Gratitude Exercise Q&A BREAK Comprehensive Soldier Fitness Drawn by the Future Politics of Well Being 51 Q&A

psychology should: Be as concerned with

strength as with weakness

Be as interested in building the best things in life as in repairing the worst

Be as concerned with making the lives of normal people fulfilling as with healing pathology

Develop Interventions to increase well being, not just to decrease misery

Active

Passive

Constructive

Destructive

Happiness as Scientifically Unwieldy: Dissolves into Positive Emotion (The Pleasant Life) Positive Character (The Engaged Life) Positive Institutions (The Meaningful Life)

Positive Relationships (The Social Life)

Each is TeachableEach is Measurable

WB = PE + ENGAGEMENT+ MEANING + RELATIONSHIPS

Positive Education

Feeling vs Doing (Instrumental)

Suffering Trumps Nothing New Here (Wealth, Longevity, LS) Fuzzy Antagonizes Traditional Learning Antagonizes Altruism Remediation vs Growth

Remote Associations Creativity Broadens Attention Liver Diagnosis

Positive Emotion Jolts us into a different mode of thought

Yearbook Wages 15 years later

Nuns Heart Attack & Optimism

15 Minute Break

1960—mean onset age of 30 years 1995—mean onset age of 14.5 years Recurrent Disorder

1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005

2

4

6

8

10 Average life satisfaction in Denmarkyear

Average 3-step happiness in the USAyear

Average life satisfaction in Italyyear

Average 10-step life satisfaction in Russiayear

R Sq Linear = 0,585R Sq Linear = 0,016

R Sq Linear = 0,715...

Denmark

USA

Italy

Russia

Baby Explores under Positive Broadens Attention Promotes Creativity Success in the Workplace

Fights Depression Raises Well Being Synergy with Classroom Learning Synergy with Worldly Success

BREAK

Optimism: Penn Resilience Training Positive Emotion: 3 Blessings Engagement: Signature Strengths Positive Relationships: ACR Meaning & Purpose: Altruism vs Pleasure

21 replications worldwide (3000 children) Whitehall Controlled Experiments Diverse Samples Led by Teachers Children learn to handle day to day stressors realistic optimism assertiveness decision-making

. Prevention of moderate to severe depressive symptoms (% CDI>=15) (From Gillham, Reivich, Jaycox, & Seligman, 1995).

24%

7%

12%

22%24%

29%

33%

44%

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

35%

40%

45%

50%

Pre 12 Months 18 Months 24 Months

Time

% o

f p

arti

cip

ants

wit

h C

DI>

=15

PRP

Control

Prevention : cumulative percent depression, anxiety or conduct disorder .

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

1 3 5 7 9 11 13 15 17 19 21 23 25 27 29 31

Months after baseline

Cu

mu

lati

ve

Pe

rce

nta

ge

Control

PRP

Prevention of conduct symptoms (Cutuli, 2004; Cutuli, Gillham, Chaplin, Reivich, Seligman, Gallop,

& Abenavoli, 2008).

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

Pre 12mos 24mos** 30mos** 36mos**

Time

Mea

n C

BC

L r

aw s

core

PRP

Control

240 9th Graders randomly assigned to literature with or without positive psychology

20 eighty minute sessions over one year Positive Emotion Character Strengths & Engagement Meaning Three year follow up

Social Skills Rating Scale Measures: Teacher’s report of students behaviors related to social

skills, including cooperation, assertiveness, and self-control.Sample items: “Volunteers to help peers on classroom tasks.”

“Politely refuses unreasonable requests from others.”

Teacher Observation of Strengths Scale : Learning strengths factorTeacher Observation of Strengths Scale : Learning strengths factorMeasures: Teacher’s report of student’s behaviors related to engagement in learning Measures: Teacher’s report of student’s behaviors related to engagement in learning

(e.g., curiosity, love of learning, creativity, zest)(e.g., curiosity, love of learning, creativity, zest)Sample items: Think of actual situations in which this young person experienced Sample items: Think of actual situations in which this young person experienced

failure or a setback. How frequently did he/she show CURIOSITY?failure or a setback. How frequently did he/she show CURIOSITY?

Adolescents’ Cooperation (Reported by Mothers)

Cooperation (Mother SSRS)

9.5

10.0

10.5

11.0

11.5

12.0

Pre Post 6 months 18 months

Positive Psychology

Control

Non-Honors HonorHonorss

Language Arts (English) Language Arts (English) Grades Grades

by 9by 9thth grade Language Arts grade Language Arts LevelLevel

Well Being is Being Taught UK (250 trained PRP teachers)

USA Australia Entire US Army (Comprehensive Soldier

Fitness)

1,650,000 Registrees www.authentichappiness.org

Exercise Link Baseline Battery (SHI CESD) Placebo Controlled Six Month Follow Up Three Blessings ACR Signature Strengths Gratitude Visit

Pre Post 1 Week 1 Month 6 Months

Memory (79) 13.5 12.1 12.9 12.5 13.6 Blessings(80) 14.2 10.2* 9.9* 9.4* 10.8* Story (78) 13.7 10.3 13.6 14.2 12.8 Gratitude(82) 13.8 9.5* 11.0* 11.1 13.6 VIA (75) 13.7 11.7 12.8 12.9 13.7 UseVIA(77) 14.1 10.8* 10.4* 9.8* 11.3*

6-week intervention run in groups of 8-12, 1.5 hr sessions once a week

Manualized Six positive exercises with homework

Depressive S ymptoms for Group PPT at all Time Points

5

10

15

Baseline Post-test Threemonth f/up

S ix-monthf/up

One yearf/up

BD

I S

core

s

PPT (N=16)

Control (N=21)

ParticipantsDSM-IV criteria for MDD Exclusion Criteria: Current treatment of depression elsewhere Panic disorder, manic or hypomanic episode

(past or present)

Intent to Treat Sample PPT = 13; TAU= 16; TAU+Meds= 17

Clinician-Rated Depression

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

Hamilton

Ma

rgin

al

Me

an

Sco

re

PPT

TAU

TAUMED

Three Blessing Results (Severe Depression N=42 or 30.2%)

AHIAHI CES-DCES-D

Pre-testPre-test 55.2955.29 33.5033.50

Post-testPost-test 72.8872.88 16.4516.45

ChangeChange +17.60+17.60Increase HappinessIncrease Happiness

-17.05-17.05Decrease DepressionDecrease Depression

*Results within the first month.

Driven by the Past Failure of Learning Theory and

Psychoanalysis Consciousness and Future Simulations Positive vs. Negative States Psychology of the Future 51% of the World Flourishing by

2051

Military & Economic Centuries What is Wealth For? GDP vs GWB The Safety Net and Florence Whitehall, Layard & Bentham South Tyneside and Irene Lucas The Camel, The Rebel, & The Child Reborn What can every human being say “Yes” to?

More Positive EmotionMore EngagementMore Noble PurposeMore Positive RelationshipsMore Positive Accomplishment

www.positivepsychology.org (Literature) www.psych.upenn.edu/seligman (Literature & Manuals) www.authentichappiness.org (Questionnaires) seligman@psych.upenn.edu Flourish, 2011: N.Y.: Free Press (My New Book)